


The World Seemed to Burn

by MaddieandChimney



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: F/M, TW: Domestic Violence, TW: Violence, tw: injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-07-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:41:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25193341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaddieandChimney/pseuds/MaddieandChimney
Summary: When Maddie gets a phone call from her parents, only to be met with the voice of her husband giving her twenty-four-hours to get back home, she breaks. For the first time since arriving in L.A, she opens up to Chimney, whilst her brother listens, realising for the first time the true extent of what she's tried to protect him from.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley & Maddie Buckley, Maddie Buckley/Howie "Chimney" Han
Comments: 4
Kudos: 39
Collections: 9-1-1 Tales





	The World Seemed to Burn

Maddie takes a deep breath when she looks down at her phone, her nose scrunching up when she sees the caller ID pop up, “It’s mom and dad.” She looks at her brother in confusion, an accusatory look in her eyes causing him to shake his head all too quickly.

“I haven’t told them you’re here.”

With a sigh, she shrugs it off, allowing the call to go to voicemail, unsure if she’s ready to talk to either of them yet. They had never approved of her decision to marry Doug, but she was sure they would disapprove of her decision to leave him even more. They were… religious, they had their own beliefs, their own hopes and dreams for their children that neither she or Buck had ever lived up to. It didn’t matter how much they hated her husband, her mom had once told her that she had made her bed, she needed to lie in it.

Maddie tries to forget it, forcing a smile when she looks at her frowning brother, both their eyes moving to her phone when it rings again. Twice in a row? Even Buck is looking at her with concern because it’s rare they even get _one_ phone call from their parents, let alone two. Something must be wrong. “I’m here if you want to answer it.” Her brother smiles nervously, taking her phone from her hand when she nods her head.

“I’m sorry, we’re being rude…” She stammers out nervously, looking at the eyes around them when her brother presses the answer button, “We’ll be… just a minute…” Table manners, Doug had always drilled them into her, as though her parents hadn’t done a good enough job. Athena and the others around them still shake their heads with smiles on their faces, watching as the two siblings move towards the living room, pressing the speaker button as they do.

Maddie speaks, brushing her hair behind her ear as she does, “Mom? Dad?”

“No. Not your parents, they do say hello though.” The moment she hears his voice on the other end of the phone, it sends a shudder through her body. The tears well up in her eyes, biting down on her lip, shaking her head. The anger flashes on Buck’s face, his grip tightening on the phone, neither of them trusting themselves to say a single word for completely different reasons. “I know you’re with your brother, Maddie. I have his address right here, I know where he works, I know exactly where you are. So, I’m giving you a choice…”

Chimney seems to sense something is wrong, despite the fact he’s only known her a few months, quickly moving to stand between the two rooms, a terrified look on his paling face. Silence falls in the dining room, Maddie can feel all eyes on them as Buck’s face flushes red and he looks as though he’s either about to throw up or punch something. “If you’re not home in twenty-four-hours, I’m coming to get you. You don’t get to leave me, Maddie. I told you what would happen if you left, I told you how this ends.”

It’s Athena who seemingly comes from nowhere to snatch the phone away from Buck’s tight grip, her angry words barely heard by Maddie, covered by the sound of her own heart pounding in her ears. Buck, her baby brother who she had tried so hard to protect from the reality of her marriage to Doug, practically runs towards the kitchen, distinct sounds of retching forcing the tightness in her chest to increase. Her breathing heavy, tears falling down her face until Hen has her arms wrapped around her, easily leading her to the floor as Maddie weeps.

It’s barely a surprise, she knew he’d find her eventually, he always did. This wasn’t her first time leaving him, the first had been years ago, when her mom had dragged her back and told her that she’s the one who chose to marry him even when they told her not to. She was an adult, an adult who made an adult decision and therefore, she couldn’t leave him. She never made the mistake of running to her parents again.

Maddie can’t breathe, her chest heavy and her head spinning as she clings onto Hen. He’s coming, if she doesn’t leave then he’s coming. And when he sees her, he’s going to kill her. He’s promised her that much enough times. Now though, she’s involved too many people, she’s put so many others in danger when they deserved so much better. Especially Buck, her baby brother whose heart would break if he knew the true extent of the abuse.

“I’ve got you, I need you to breathe for me.” A hand is on her back, gently rubbing circles, the words repeated over and over until at least she can breathe again without it feeling as though something is crushing her chest. Just enough for Hen to feel as though she can pull back, affectionately pressing both hands to either side of Maddie’s face as she looks into her eyes. It’s not just Buck she’s put in danger, she can see the determination in Hen’s eyes, the level of care that can’t be faked. Maddie feels as though she barely knows this woman, not really, not as much as she had hoped because the kind, loving woman is Chimney’s best friend and Chimney is Maddie’s… well, he’s her _something_.

Another person who would be damaged in the aftermath of Doug’s rage.

“There we go, Chimney really wants to hold you right now, is that okay?” She is all too eager to nod her head, even if she knows it’s selfish. He is too good, too kind, far too gentle for her. She’s undeserving of any of the patience and care he’s shown her but she still craves it anyway. Maddie has never felt safe in another man’s arms other than her brother, not until Chimney wrapped his arms around her for the first time and suddenly the world was starting to make sense again,

She had only just started imagining a new kind of future, one without Doug, a future where maybe she could live in peace. Now all she could think about was the fact her husband was coming for her, and it didn’t matter who got in the way. He was relentless, ruthless, always got his own way whether it was her or in work. If he saw something he wanted, then he had his ways of getting it, not caring who he stepped over to get there. The complete opposite of everything Chimney was.

The moment his arms are around her, her body reacts on instinct, immediately settling into his touch. She hears him thanking Hen, she can feel his tears falling to her shoulder as she practically crawls into his lap.

Maddie barely notices the other people in the room leaving her and Chimney alone, as he rocks her softly, “I’m going to protect you.” He whispers, “There’s so many people in your corner, so many people who love you.” He doesn’t promise her that he can stop Doug ever getting to her, both of them know he doesn’t know what the man is capable of.

“He’s going to kill me.” It takes a while before she trusts herself to speak again, head resting on his shoulder, hand on his chest. “He said if I leave him again, he’ll kill me. And I knew that when I left, I-I knew what… what I was risking but it was just me then and now I’m not alone anymore and…”

He stops her before she can spiral down that path, fingers running through her hair as he continues to rock her, “You have us, and we’ll fight with you, okay? You’re not alone. That’s a good thing, Maddie, you don’t have to go through this alone.”

She knows he’s right, she knows that Doug probably would have found her no matter where she went. That the alternative would have been her not having anyone willing to fight in her corner. But it also means she now has people to lose, people who can get hurt because of her and that… that’s more terrifying than anything Doug could do to her. “He’ll step over anyone who tries to protect me. I-I was different, before I met him… I was… bubbly and I had so many friends but somehow, they all disappeared. He made them all disappear and I barely noticed, I just… was so focused on him and our relationship. I was so happy to finally feel as though someone loved me. I didn’t realise that he was my entire world, even at the hospital, everyone knew I was _his_. He needed me to be alone and I didn’t even realise that I wasn’t the same person anymore.”

Chimney doesn’t say anything, only holds her a little tighter, until his lips move against the top of her head. “I didn’t even see it coming, how… suddenly everything I did was wrong, everything was my fault. He kept reminding me that he wanted me to be the best version of myself, he liked everything to be perfect and at first, I loved that about him but… then, _everything_ had to be perfect and it was exhausting. But I married him anyway, my parents hated him and I was so sure that I loved him so… the first time he hit me, our wedding night… it was my fault. I chipped the glass, I toasted too hard. I-It was my fault.”

Really, she doesn’t understand why she’s opening up, if he even wants to hear but she needs someone to understand that when Doug said he was coming for her, when he said he was going to kill her, he absolutely meant it. “H-his… his favourite thing to do was…” Her trembling hand moves to her neck as though she’s remembering, the ghost of his fingers against her skin, “He would wrap his hand around my throat… press down hard… until I felt as though I was going to pass out and then he’d let go. He’d tell me that’s how easy it would be.”

When she looks up at the man holding her, seeing how he’s crying for her, she bites down on her lip. “The last time I tried to leave before this time… he caught me… threw me down the stairs. Refused to take me to the hospital for two days until I begged him and promised him I would never do it again. I had a broken leg, among other things but it meant I was completely his for months. He waited on me hand and foot, he was so… sweet and kind and… loving. So I stayed. I stopped planning and I stopped remembering that he was the reason I was hurting in the first place. He did that to me… he always… I always forgave him and I don’t… I don’t know why and I hate myself for it.”

“Maddie…”

She shakes her head, “I’m scared that he’s going to turn up here and I’ll forgive him. That’s scarier than him killing me. I don’t… w-what if I…”

“No, you won’t. I wouldn’t let you and most of all, you won’t let you.” There’s so much resolve in his voice, as though he knows what he is saying is completely true. That Maddie isn’t going to go running back into Doug’s arms the moment he turns up to avoid whatever hell he wants to ensue on her. He’s going to kill her either way - whether it’s in days from now or months, even years. “You’re safe here, with your family.”

Her body presses closer to his, the tears easing, the tension in her chest alleviated as she feels the sheer exhaustion from her panic attack and then the overwhelming honesty take over. “Promise?”

There’s a firm nod of his head, “I promise.”

It takes a moment until her eyes close, her breathing evens out and Chimney presses his lips against her forehead. The tears fall heavier in the knowledge that she can no longer see him, that he doesn’t have to be strong. When he looks up, his eyes meet with Buck’s red eyes, observing the devastation on his own face that probably matches his.

Athena is the first to break the silence, stepping back into the room, her eyes not tearing away from a sleeping Maddie, “We need a plan, I’m not letting that bastard near her.” There’s a viciousness to her voice, one that brings a strange sort of comfort to Chimney as he nods his head in agreement. Despite the fact he’s sitting on the floor of her living room, Chimney doesn’t dare move, afraid to disturb her. Buck joins him, sitting next to the two of them, hand reaching out to press against his sister’s leg, the tears falling as he stares at her.

“If I see him I’m going to kill him, so we need a plan that doesn’t end with me in jail.” There’s a seriousness to his tone that lets those of them in the room know he’s not joking. Buck’s cheeks are flushed with anger, rage in his eyes despite the tears that continue to fall.

“Me too.” Chimney whispers, knowing he’s never felt the way he feels right then for another person. Desperately looking up at Athena, hoping she has something better to contribute than that, only to see her looking just as helpless as the others in the room. With a deep breath, he speaks again, “It doesn’t matter… I’ll do whatever I have to do to protect her.”

Even if it’s only been a few months, even if she’s only his friend and she only ever will be his friend, even if she’ll never feel the same about him as he does for her… he’ll do anything.


End file.
